How To Love Your Daughter

When a storm is coming:

Be steadfast; let her know that should she venture out, you’ll always be her safe harbor.

Be the lighthouse calling her back home and be the shelter from all that is dark outside.

Guide her, teach her, and most of all show her how to be unapologetically herself, always.

Hold her hand, hug her close, and let her feel safe.

Be honest, protective, and courageous.

Love her boldness, strength, and power.

Never crush her spirit or break her heart.

The world can be cold, dark, and lonely; don’t let it be through you that she learns those lessons.

To love your daughter right, you must be her light, set the example, and show her that the world can be beautiful.

Take her for walks, ask her about her dreams, and make sure she knows how much she means to you.

Hold her hand, guide her, and show her a smooth path forward.

Believe in her; trust in her to do what’s right.

Know that her greatness requires a solid foundation from which she can explore the expansive universe of possibility.

She will test your patience, test your trust, and give you many opportunities to witness her resilience.

Be patient; her autonomy requires the freedom to fail.

You will see it in her eyes, love, heartbreak, joy, fear, possibility, change, compassion, loss, anger, disappointment, and kindness — the full spectrum of life’s gifts and lessons.

Let it be that when you’re old and gray, reflecting on the life you’ve lived, you’ll feel both pride in your achievements and no regrets about your legacy.

That when she looks at you, the reflection you see is one of purity, trust, safety, and unconditional love.

Cherish your daughter, for she is a blend of all the best parts of who you are and all the things you can’t be.

So help her to be greater than you ever thought possible.